You will definately see a difference in the quality of components from the entry level rods of TFO's and the higher end Winston, Sage, etc. But if you are looking at the entry level rods offered by Sage now, you will see similar components as the imports but still pay the slightly higher costs for buying an American made production rod. I can get the Nickel Silver reel seat hardware for a Winston for about $60 retail where I could get an aluminum reel seat hardware commonly found on the less expensive models for well less than half of that. The best cork rings can cost up to $3 or more for a ring and you will need 10-14 rings depending on what type of grip you want. On the other hand you can also get some pretty bad rings for .50 and use filler material to make it look better on the shelf. Guides are the same way. I have built functional bamboo rods that fish and cast great that I outfitted with components for less $30 but the majority of the rods I have built take about $200 worth of components retail and that's not including the price of a blank since I make those as well. Do you need clean and void free cork, fancy exotic wood insert for your nickel silver reel seat attached to a state of the art space age technology blank to catch a fish using fur and feathers on a hook? No. But you will buy what you can afford and cherish it because you know that you bought what you wanted because you can. Enjoy the pursuit of your next rod and make sure you cast before you buy because that is really all that matters.